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Bulgaria's wave of protest

Thousands of Bulgarians have been protesting for weeks against the new government, elected in May. They say the government is corrupt and has ties to the criminal underground - and needs to step down.

Thousands take to the streets

Every day for the past month, tens of thousands of Bulgarians have taken part in street demonstrations. They are protesting corruption and are calling for the government – which has only been in office for two months – to step down.

The mood in the capital

Most of the demonstrations are taking place in the capital, Sofia. The protesters meet every evening at 6:30 p.m. in front of the council of ministers building. Media reports indicate that around 50,000 people took part in last Sunday's protest. The police, however, say only 3,000 protesters were on hand.

The cause of the protests

The protest movement started with the June 14 nomination of media mogul Delyan Peevski – who is rumored to be closely connected with Bulgarian oligarchs – as head of the powerful secret service agency DANS.

#DANSwithme

Like protests in Turkey or Egypt, social media has played an important role in Bulgaria as well. Twitter and Facebook, for example, have been used to coordinate protests. One important hashtag has been "#ДАНСwithme" (#DANSwithme), in reference to the agency Peevski was nominated to lead.

Anti-government, anti-mafia

A few days after appointing Peevski to the head of DANS, the government reversed its decision and removed him from the post. But the protests continued. Every day the protesters chant "Step down!" and "Mafiosi, off to jail!"

Saying 'no' to corruption

The protests are now taking aim at the widespread corruption and cronyism in Bulgaria. According to the latest corruption index from Transparency International, presented on July 10 in Sofia, 76 percent of Bulgarians consider their politicians to be corrupt.

Faces of the protest

The media has reported on a "protest of the beautiful and successful," noting that many "good-looking and well-paid people" are taking part. Sofia's mayor, Yordanka Fandakova, describes the protesters as people who "achieved everything on their own, without connections."

Children taking part

Young and old have taken to the streets – the protests represent every age category. It's especially noticeable that many young parents are demonstrating together with their children. This sign reads "Bulgaria belongs to us."

Seeking control of the media

Politicians have reacted angrily to live reports from the protests and are attempting to intimidate the media. The head of the ultra-nationalist party Ataka, Volen Siderov, stormed a TV studio last week with a billy club in his hand. The protesters added the chant "Ignore Siderov!" to their repertoire for days as a result.

Presidential support

In a television address on July 5, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev called for new elections. "If nothing will help, then an election is the only democratic solution," he said, adding that he had seen no attempt by the government to show the people another option.

Bulgarians and freedom

A few days ago, the Bulgarian news agency Mediapool wrote that "Bulgarian society is on its way to becoming freer. There are more and more people who are aware of their freedom and who don't want to just sit and watch as their taxes and votes are abused by a small group."

Thousands take to the streets

Every day for the past month, tens of thousands of Bulgarians have taken part in street demonstrations. They are protesting corruption and are calling for the government – which has only been in office for two months – to step down.

The mood in the capital

Most of the demonstrations are taking place in the capital, Sofia. The protesters meet every evening at 6:30 p.m. in front of the council of ministers building. Media reports indicate that around 50,000 people took part in last Sunday's protest. The police, however, say only 3,000 protesters were on hand.

The cause of the protests

The protest movement started with the June 14 nomination of media mogul Delyan Peevski – who is rumored to be closely connected with Bulgarian oligarchs – as head of the powerful secret service agency DANS.

#DANSwithme

Like protests in Turkey or Egypt, social media has played an important role in Bulgaria as well. Twitter and Facebook, for example, have been used to coordinate protests. One important hashtag has been "#ДАНСwithme" (#DANSwithme), in reference to the agency Peevski was nominated to lead.

Anti-government, anti-mafia

A few days after appointing Peevski to the head of DANS, the government reversed its decision and removed him from the post. But the protests continued. Every day the protesters chant "Step down!" and "Mafiosi, off to jail!"

Saying 'no' to corruption

The protests are now taking aim at the widespread corruption and cronyism in Bulgaria. According to the latest corruption index from Transparency International, presented on July 10 in Sofia, 76 percent of Bulgarians consider their politicians to be corrupt.

Faces of the protest

The media has reported on a "protest of the beautiful and successful," noting that many "good-looking and well-paid people" are taking part. Sofia's mayor, Yordanka Fandakova, describes the protesters as people who "achieved everything on their own, without connections."

Children taking part

Young and old have taken to the streets – the protests represent every age category. It's especially noticeable that many young parents are demonstrating together with their children. This sign reads "Bulgaria belongs to us."

Seeking control of the media

Politicians have reacted angrily to live reports from the protests and are attempting to intimidate the media. The head of the ultra-nationalist party Ataka, Volen Siderov, stormed a TV studio last week with a billy club in his hand. The protesters added the chant "Ignore Siderov!" to their repertoire for days as a result.

Presidential support

In a television address on July 5, Bulgarian President Rosen Plevneliev called for new elections. "If nothing will help, then an election is the only democratic solution," he said, adding that he had seen no attempt by the government to show the people another option.

Bulgarians and freedom

A few days ago, the Bulgarian news agency Mediapool wrote that "Bulgarian society is on its way to becoming freer. There are more and more people who are aware of their freedom and who don't want to just sit and watch as their taxes and votes are abused by a small group."